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GENESIS 21
The birth of Isaac led to Abraham’s separation from Ishmael. A covenant with Abimelech brought peace. -- (DATE: Between 1851 and 1846 before Christ)
DISCOVER Genesis 21: According to his promise, the LORD came to Sarah, and she became pregnant with Abraham’s child. When Abraham was one hundred years old, Sarah bore him a son, Isaac, and was overjoyed, for she, in spite of her old age, had born her husband a son. Of her, who had been barren, God had made laughter, who in spite of her age was now nursing a son from her very own flesh and blood. And Abraham circumcised his son on the eighth day, according to the covenant with the LORD. -- The child grew, and when he was weaned, Abraham held a great feast for him. During this feast, Sarah saw her slave woman’s son, Ishmael, laugh, and she grew resentful of him and Hagar, his Egyptian mother. So she went to her husband and demanded of him that he would throw both of them out of the camp, for Ishmael was not to inherit anything of what rightfully belonged to her son. -- Abraham was reluctant to do so, for Ishmael was his son for better or for worse. But God spoke to him, saying that he was to do as his wife demanded, since Abraham’s linage was to be named and remembered only through Isaac. However, he also promised that he would be with Ishmael, on account that he was Abraham’s son, and make a nation of him as well. With this reassurance, Abraham rose early the next morning and collected some bread and a water skin, which he gave to Hagar, his wife’s slave, and sent her, together with her son Ishmael, out from his camp. Wandering the wilderness of Beersheba, the mother and child soon ran out of water. Their situation became so desperate, that Hagar saw no other way than to put her son under a bush to die. Unable to witness such a tragedy, she moved away from him, far enough that she wouldn’t have to see his end, but still near enough to be close by. And there, alone, she lifted up her voice and lamented her fate. And God heard the voice of her son, and sent an angel to ask what had troubled Hagar so much. She was not to be afraid, for God had heard the plight of her son. Therefore she must go back and hold fast onto him, for he would become a great nation. Thereupon God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she beheld a well of water nearby, in which she could refill her water skin and go to her boy to let him drink his fill. And God was with Ishmael so that he grew up and be healthy. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and became an expert with the bow and arrow, a great hunter. And there Hagar found a wife for him, who was from her country, Egypt. -- Around that time Abimelech, the king of Gerar, came to Abraham, together with Phicol, his army’s commander. Abimelech told Abraham that God surely was with him in all that he did. Therefore he asked Abraham to swear by his God, that he would not deal falsely with him or any of his descendants, as he had with his half-lie about Sarah, but instead treat him, his offspring and the land he has sojourned in kindly. And Abraham swore that he would. On that note, however, Abraham confronted Abimelech with the circumstance that some of his servants had seized a well from him. To which the king answered that until Abraham just mentioned it, he had never heard of such a thing occurring. So Abraham took sheep and oxen from his flock and gave them to Abimelech, to seal their covenant. He also set aside seven ewe lambs for the king, to be the witness-price of the well. And Abimelech accepted them. Therefore the well was named Beersheba (literally meaning “Well of Seven”), as the two men had agreed over the seven ewe lambs that the well was Abraham’s and they had made their oath there. After Abimelech and his commander had left, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree there and called upon the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. And Abraham continued living in the land of the Philistines for many days after this.
PRAYER: Our faithful God and heavenly Father, we are filled with joy that you fulfilled your promise to Sarah and Abraham and in spite of their old age gave them Isaac as their son. Thank you for proving your faithfulness, even though this chosen couple had to wait for dozens of years. At the same time we are in awe at the way in which you made sure that your promises would only be fulfilled through Isaac and not also through Ishmael. Thank you for saving the slave woman, Hagar, with her son in the wilderness and blessing them to become a great people too. We worship you over your might and wisdom in ordering your salvation history in spite of the failings of your chosen ones. Amen.
QUESTION 21: Why did God allow Abraham to send away his first born son Ishmael with his mother Hagar?